


Pouting at Christmastime

by TheChatsMeow (yukisukinomoto)



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Identity Reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2019-12-16
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:50:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21821728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yukisukinomoto/pseuds/TheChatsMeow
Summary: A Christmas party leads to new understanding and a very random reveal (because Adrien forgets about modern technology)
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 17
Kudos: 327





	Pouting at Christmastime

Marinette was _not_ pouting.

Sure, she was hiding in a corner alone whilst the party raged on. But that didn’t mean she was pouting.

Not even when Lila smirked her way as she clung to Adrien’s arm.

Her fingers twitched around the cup she clutched. But still, definitely not pouting.

“Ooh, Adrien, there’s some mistletoe right there, let’s celebrate tradition!” Lila crowed, not even breaking eye contact with Marinette.

Okay, that was enough of that. Marinette set her cup down on the nearby mantle before she could mangle it anymore with her flexing fingers. She needed some air. She grabbed her coat on the way out of Alix’s apartment and headed into the stairwell, grunting out some excuse at Alya as she called out after her. She shoved her hands into her coat pockets as she made her way up to the roof access door and pushed her way out into the cold December air. For a Christmas party, she was _not_ feeling a lot of holiday cheer.

She had originally been so excited to be invited to this party. A chance to hang out with her friends, to relax after midterm testing, and most importantly, _no Lila Rossi_. Or so she thought. Lila had been bragging about some sort of extravagant vacation all throughout the last week of school leading up to the holiday break. Apparently those plans “fell through”, because Alix spotted her up in her apartment. She promptly invited the <strike>wretched thing</strike> poor girl to the party. So Marinette had the misfortune of walking into the party to be greeted by a crowd surrounding Lila as she spun some more ridiculous stories. Alya had decided to hang on to every word, and so Marinette decided to just try to enjoy herself with a drink and a moment alone.

And then it turned out like this.

She had a bad taste in her mouth from it all. She was tired of playing the waiting game, waiting for Lila to slip up. And Adrien didn’t seem to mind Lila hanging off of him. Well, not enough to do anything about it. Yes, her crush was unfortunately timid when it came to putting his foot down. And she simply couldn’t stand there and watch him just allow Lila to slobber all over him in the name of taking the high road. What a joke. She sighed out, breath fogging out into the air as she approached the ledge and sat down, legs dangling over the side. Staring up at the night sky, she wished. She wished she could see the stars better. She wished she could win against Lie-la. She wished it didn’t have to be so hard.

Lila still hadn’t managed to outright turn the class against her. But it hurt every single time they all doubted her. Marinette’s heart broke over and over again when Lila’s words poisoned them into questioning Marinette’s character. She closed her eyes, and she wished. She wished that her friends could just learn to use their brains finally and see what Lila was doing. She wished… she wished Adrien had never suggested letting it play out. She felt a tear roll down her cheek and hastily rubbed it away with quickly numbing fingers before it could freeze there. She hadn’t even realized she had started tearing up.

“Marinette?” She straightened quickly, surprised to hear_ him_ behind her.

“Ch-” she turned to look, but stopped speaking as she realized it was Adrien, standing in the open door way, staring at her with worry in his eyes. “Adrien?” She blinked, wide blue eyes and turned back toward the street so she could hastily rub the remaining moisture from them. “What are you doing up here?” It was easier to speak to him now, when she wasn’t looking directly at him. Although to be fair it had gotten a bit easier over time, ever since he had given her that terrible, painful advice. Even Adrien made mistakes, it seemed. She pushed the bitter thought away and looked over to him when he sat down next to her, legs swinging in sync with hers over the side of the building. She bit back the comment about safety. If she did, he would point out she was perched on a ledge too. So instead she just directed her eyes to her hands.

“Had to get out of there.” He said simply, peering across the rooftops like he was looking for something. “It was getting… uncomfortable.”

She snorted. She couldn’t help it. What did he expect, when he just let Lila walk all over him? She blushed at the noise that escaped her though and glanced away.

“Yeah.” Was all she said.

“What about you? Why did you come up here?” He asked, turning to face her fully and tucking one leg up underneath himself.

“Same.” She muttered, sighing heavily again and rubbing at her eyes.

“What, Lila try to kiss you too?” He tried to joke.

She frowned, turning to stare at him. Her eyes were still watery but at this point, she was just_ done_. “Adrien. She does that because you let her. You know that, right?”

“What?” Adrien balked at her, taken aback at her sudden directness with him. Sweet little Marinette, being harsh to Adrien? Wow, how crazy was that? Apparently he didn’t care to think over the implications of her sudden tone, because his eyes narrowed at her. “What, do you think I _like_ having her hang off me? Trying to kiss me? I _hate_ it.”

“Then why don’t you do something about it?!” Marinette cried out, frustrations finally boiling over. Her fingers curled up into fists until her short nails were biting into her palms. “Adrien, this high road bull crap is obviously not working. She’s a sociopath!”

Adrien ran his hand back through his hair, mussing it up. “You don’t understand.” He grumbled. “Of course you don’t understand.”

Upset though she may be, she could hear the hurt in his voice, and the boiling anger slowed down into a simmer. “Well. Explain it to me, then.” She muttered, searching his meadow-green gaze.

Adrien groaned and closed his eyes, pinching at the bridge of his nose in absolute exasperation. “I don’t… Look, Marinette. I don’t expect you to get it, but my life? It’s not my own.”

“What? That-”

“Everything I do is scheduled. My father, well more like his assistant, makes sure everything runs like clockwork. Like I’m a machine. If I step out of line, it’s corrected.” Marinette’s heartbeat slowed. That sounded… well, it sounded absolutely terrible. “I had to run away to even be allowed to go to public school, remember? I’ve fought so, _so hard_ for every minuscule bit of freedom I have managed. Marinette, I know that you’re amazing, and brave, but not all of us can be like that. I’m terrified that if I step out of line, I’ll lose it all.”

She felt her heart drop into her stomach. _Oh_. Her eyes started overflowing again, but this time for the boy in front of her. He didn’t seem to notice though and plowed on, emptying his heart at her feet.

“Did you know that it was my father who scheduled that stupid photo shoot with Lila? I don’t know how, or why it happened, but if he approved of her to be in it, then I’m sure he would react if I upset her. Not to mention she would probably cause a scandal on purpose if I pissed her off, and god forbid Gabriel’s little robot cause any sort of drama.” His hands curled into fists so tight she thought he may start to bleed. “I can’t…” he shook his head, clenching his eyes shut. Marinette reached out and gently grasped his fists in her own cold hands and squeezed, and when he opened his eyes he saw her staring at him, crying for him.

“I’m so sorry Adrien,” she whispered. It didn’t make what he told her right, or okay, but at least she understood it now. Her heart absolutely ached for him. “That… that’s not right.”

“Yeah, well,” he grunted, fists slowly loosening as she gently ran her thumbs over his knuckles. “I don’t think that makes a difference.”

“Maybe not to Gabriel,” she conceded, “But it does to me, to your friends. I didn’t realize you had so much at stake.” She sighed out and released his hands, only for him to grab onto hers like a lifeline. “I’ll try and help you with her.” She promised, “But… I don’t think I can follow that advice anymore, Adrien. I won’t ask you to help. I won’t ask you to risk your freedom, but I can’t take it anymore. Every time she gets the class to question my integrity, every time she threatens me-”

“She _threatened_ you?” Adrien interrupted, eyes narrowing. He lifted a hand and carefully wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Why didn’t you tell me? Hell, why didn’t you go to the principal?”

“Why would that have mattered? It would be her word against mine. And that’s never ended well for me.” Marinette’s voice came out in a whisper as she stared into his eyes. They had darkened, he seemed angry. But all she could think about was how beautiful those eyes were.

“What a pair we are,” he muttered, thumb resting on her cheek as he offered her a weak smile. Gods, this would be the part where the hero kissed the heroine in the movie. Her heart had leapt into her throat. And yet, he withdrew his hand and stood from his spot. She mourned the loss of his heat as the cold settled over her, but he thrust his hand down in front of her and promptly helped her up. “Hey, do you want to get out of here?”

Marinette was not proud of how long she stood there and simply blinked at him.

“Uh… Marinette?” Adrien blinked back, tilting his head.

She managed to shake it off and nod enthusiastically. “Yeall!” She cried out. “ I mean. Yes. Yes, please.” Damn tongue.

He grinned at her. “Great!” And her heart melted. Now if only the rest of her would heat up like that. She shivered. “Oh. Did you not bring a scarf or gloves?” He asked, surveying her. To be fair, the forecast had said it wasn’t going to get this cold tonight. So, thinking just a simple winter coat would do the trick, Marinette had decidedly screwed herself over.

“Uh. No. Didn’t really think…” She trailed off, rubbing her hands together anxiously.

“Yeah, seems like it,” he joked with a grin, and her heart melted all over again. She would never get tired of seeing him grin. It was such a treat to see him smiling that real, lopsided smile of his. “Here.” And he unwound his scarf (_her_ scarf!) from around his neck and carefully looped it around hers, smiling the entire time. “There. It looks good on you.”

“B-b-but what about you? Won’t you get chold? I mean colly. I mean chilly!” She mentally face-palmed.

“I’ll be ok. I run pretty warm, to be honest.”

She wished she could claim the same, but she was cold all the time in winter. She was spoiled at home, with the ovens in the bakery heating up the whole building. But the second she left the house it felt like an avalanche of cold swept over her.

“I promise. No need to pout.” He said quickly upon seeing her expression. He apparently didn’t realize it was simply jealousy.

“I’m not pouting,” Marinette muttered, dipping her head down into the scarf and burying her cold nose in its warmth. Her cold nose that wrinkled immediately. Oh god, why did it smell like Camembert? She fought the urge to gag, not wanting to offend Adrien. He probably had been eating some and dropped it on the scarf. She wished she had included some care instructions with the present all those years ago.

Still, she was wearing Adrien’s scarf.

Oh, gods. She was wearing Adrien’s scarf. Her entire face flushed red, and he blinked at her, cocking his head to the side again in that way that was so reminiscent of a cat it caused a choked laugh to escape her throat.

Forcing herself to calm down (it was really, really difficult), she decided to head over to the door that lead to the stairwell. “So where do you want to go?” She asked, reaching for the handle. Huh. It wouldn’t turn.

She stared hard at the handle, and then at her numb hands. And she tried again. Okay, it wasn’t just her numb fingers not working. Adrien stepped up behind her and realized what was going on before her brain could process and panic. “Oh, crap.” He muttered.

Marinette whipped around to stare up at him with eyes wide with horror. They were locked up there on the roof. Her brain immediately started to run through every terrible scenario. They were going to freeze to death up there. She carefully slipped her fingers into her pocket and grimaced, feeling how cold even her poor kwami was.

If only she could transform, she could get them down from there. She glanced to Adrien again and saw his grimace. He was obviously having the same thoughts as her. They were screwed. She chewed on her lip and turned back to the door, trying again in vain. “Maybe we can strong arm it.” She reasoned aloud.

“Marinette…” Adrien muttered, but she ignored him and turned the handle whilst ramming her shoulder into the door. “Marinette.” He said again more firmly, but again she rammed into the door. “Mari!” He snapped out and she turned to him with wide eyes. “You’re going to hurt yourself doing that. Come here.” She blinked and complied, stepping closer to him. Her whole body stiffened as he draped his arms around her. “I know you’re cold, but don’t worry. I’ll get us out of this.” She shivered, and not just from the temperature.

“H-how?” she managed to get out, voice muffled by his chest as he pulled her in closer. His hand was rubbing up and down her back in soothing motions and she had the sudden thought that perhaps dying up here wouldn’t be too bad. Except… she didn’t want Tikki to suffer the same fate. Could Tikki die from the cold? Oh jeez, a new host of worries flitted through her brain.

Adrien hesitated, his movements slowing as he thought. And he grunted. “I need you to keep this to yourself,” he said softly, pulling back to look into her eyes. “Can you do that for me?” She blinked up at him, but nodded dumbly. What the hell could he even be talking about at a time like - “Plagg, transform me!”

Marinette stumbled backwards, falling onto her butt as she watched the boy she had a crush on turn into the boy who had a crush on her. She was pretty sure that her brain stopped working. “Wh-wh-” she stammered out. 

“I know, Princess, but for now I just need you to hold on,” he said softly as he bent down and scooped her up bridal style. She had no choice but to throw her arms around his neck to secure herself, but her brain was going a million miles a minute. _What? WHAT?!_ She wanted to scream, but she held it back and instead buried her face into his chest as he turned and ran to the ledge, leaping off and over to the next building. They carried on that way for a few minutes, not stopping until his feet touched down on her familiar balcony.

“I-you-” Marinette was still not quite working. Out of order.

“Come on. Let’s get you inside,” he said, carefully setting her down next to the hatch and opening it, before grabbing her again so he could hop down. It was as he was reaching up to close the hatch again that she regained her senses and _snapped_. 

“What the _fuck_ were you thinking Chat?!”

His ears immediately plastered back against his head and his eyes went wide. “Wh-what?” he choked out. He did not expect his adorable little classmate with a heart of gold to bring out the big swears.

“I could have been Hawkmoth for all you knew, fuck!” She pushed him away, making him fall awkwardly backward onto her bed.

“What? No, you could never be. Mari, I _know_ you.” He uttered, moving to lean up, but she just pushed him back down again. He did his best to ignore the fact that he kind of liked this side of her. “Look, if there’s any civilian I can trust with this, it’s you.”

Marinette’s heart melted. But she frowned anyway. “I really ought to smack you.”

“Again?” He asked, trying for a joking tone, but she was having none of it.

“Chat.”

“Princess?”

“I’m serious.”

“So am I!” he countered. “Look, Marinette, my lady will be upset with me, but I’ll explain it. Our job is to protect the people of Paris! I was just-” He was cut off by a little chiming noise and the pair of them froze, staring at each other blankly.

Marinette pulled her phone out of her pocket and grimaced at it, seeing the text from Alya asking where she was.

“We… could have… called for help,” She ground out, dropping her phone to the mattress. Chat made a little ‘eep’ noise and scrambled back to sit against the headboard.

“Listen, Mari.” He uttered.

“You are in SO much trouble!” She cried out, pouncing upon him and holding him down. “Chat Noir, what the hell were you thinking!? Really!”

Chat was getting frustrated. He was just trying to do the right thing. Seriously, he couldn’t help that he didn’t alway think right around her lately. “I was thinking that I didn’t want my crush to freeze to death on a rooftop when I could save her!” He snapped out.

She paused, staring down at him, and he felt his face flush when his cheeks glowed red. “Your… crush?” She whispered. “I thought you uh… I thought you liked-”

Chat swallowed hard. “Ladybug? Yeah. I mean… Ladybug has a special place in my heart. She always will. We’re partners. But… it may be terrible but I have feelings for you, too.”

Marinette suddenly withdrew, getting off of him and heading down the ladder off of the loft without a word. As soon as she hit the landing she started pacing. Oh dear. It would have been much easier for her if Tikki was awake right now. But the poor thing still seemed to be snoozing in her pocket. Her fingers burned as the feeling started coming back into them, and she twisted them together over and over again in different formations.

“Uh, Mari?” Chat croaked out, peering over the side of the bed warily. “Can… can you maybe say something?”

But she didn’t. She kept pacing. Kept twisting her fingers. Kept chewing on her lower lip.

She was scared.

But…

She finally stopped and looked up at him, realizing his eyes were wide with worry. He was scared, she realized. This whole night had been a roller coaster of emotions for the both of them. Her anxiety settled now that she had something to focus on, and she let a smile curl at her lips as she reached towards him, beckoning him down. He seemed hesitant, but headed down to her anyway and stood before her. “Princess?” he whispered. She swallowed hard.

“I need to show you something,” She said softly. She carefully slipped her hand into her pocket and withdrew the sleeping kwami, holding her up just under Chat’s nose. His eyes crossed to focus on the little red god.

“I… I don’t understand,” he uttered, but she could see that he did. He just didn’t want to let himself believe in something he wanted so, _so_ badly.

“Chaton. It’s me,” She said softly. 

All at once, his transformation dropped and Plagg quickly flitted over to Tikki, curling around her in Marinette’s palm.

“My lady,” Adrien breathed out, reaching out to brush her cheek with shaking fingers. “Is this real?”

“It’s real, kid,” Plagg drawled before Marinette had the chance to answer. “Hey Bug, can you put us down over there?” Marinette smiled and carefully carried the pair of tiny gods over to her desk and gently set them into a little nest of fabric she had set up for Tikki to nap in. She turned back to Adrien to find him right there.

“You know, kitty. I’m still mad,” She said, but her hands moved to rest gingerly against his chest. Even through his thick winter coat she could feel the heat coming off him. “You really made a poor decision.”

“On the contrary,” Adrien muttered with a cheeky smirk, “I think this was the best decision I’ve made in a while.”

“Still…” Marinette tilted her head back to look him in the eye. 

“Are you going to _pun_ish me?”

The groan was immediate. Oh god. Puns. Right. “Am I going to have to hear those all the time now?” She asked, quirking a brow.

“You know you love my humor, my lady,” he grinned. “It’s absolute purr-fection.” She scoffed, but couldn’t stop the smile that claimed her lips. He stepped back and shrugged, “I am the chat’s meow after all.”

“Ugh!” She laughed, stepping towards him so they were chest to chest again. “I guess I can try to deal with it.” She conceded with a roll of her eyes. “For my kitty.”

“Y-your kitty?” Adrien squeaked out, suddenly going quite red. It was a good look on him.

“Y-yeah.” Marinette blinked. “I mean. If that’s all right. I just thought since you said you had a crush on me. And Ladybug and I just…”

“Well, yeah My Lady, but what about that boy you like?” If Adrien expected anything, it was not his Princess bursting out into rather unladylike laughter.

“Oh, Chaton. It has _always_ been you.”

“Wh-what? I don’t understand.”

“I have had a crush on Adrien Agreste since the day he handed me his umbrella.” She said softly, staring up into his eyes. “And I’ve had the most annoying crush sneak up on me for my partner for the longest time. It’s been hell, really.”

“You have?” he was staring at her with his mouth agape and wide eyes. She chuckled and gently closed his mouth shut with a single finger.

“Careful kitty, you don’t want to catch flies.” She taunted.

“No… but I wouldn’t mind catching a ladybug.”

Marinette’s heart nearly exploded out of her chest when he swooped down and captured her lips with his, his hand coming to cup around the back of her neck whilst the other threaded their fingers together.

The Christmas party may have been torture. This situation may get complicated. But in that moment, Marinette knew that everything would be all right. 

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was created for useless-but-not-for-long on tumblr as part of an ML Secret Santa exchange! :3 I had a lot of fun writing it and tried to really put Adrien's perspective at the forefront with that shitty advice he gave her (I mean seriously, poor thing is scared to lose everything)
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, and Happy Holidays! <3


End file.
